Canton in Seoul: Shinhan's Chairman Meets Digital Asset and the Canton Foundation Ahead of The Capital Forum
Shinhan Financial Group's Jin Ok-dong discussed group-wide cooperation with Yuval Rooz and Viv Diwakar, a day before Canton's first hosted forum in Korea drew brokers, card issuers and global asset managers.
Canton's two lead organisations spent the end of September in Seoul. On 29 September 2026, Shinhan Financial Group chairman Jin Ok-dong met Digital Asset co-founder and chief executive Yuval Rooz and Canton Foundation head Viv Diwakar at Shinhan's headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. A day later, the Canton Foundation co-hosted The Capital Forum, Canton's first hosted forum in Korea, during Korea Blockchain Week.
The Shinhan meeting
According to iNews24, the three discussed group-wide cooperation on tokenized finance and digital asset infrastructure, covering:
- payment and settlement infrastructure at the bank;
- securities trading of tokenized assets;
- tokenization of real-world assets by the group's asset manager;
- better access for global investors to Korean financial products.
No new agreement or figures were announced. Jin said Shinhan would prepare responsibly to expand its links with global digital asset infrastructure, in step with regulation, according to the reports. iNews24 added that Shinhan plans technical testing in line with Korea's move to formalise security tokens.
The meeting builds on earlier steps reported by both outlets: a June memorandum with the Canton Foundation on taking part in network governance, a July strategic equity investment in Digital Asset by Shinhan Investment Corp. and Shinhan Venture Investment, and the approval of Shinhan Asset Management as a Super Validator in September. iNews24 describes it as the first Korean financial firm in that role.
The Capital Forum
The forum on 30 September was hosted by the Canton Foundation, Noves, Tiger Research and IBM, and aimed at executives of Korean banks, securities firms and financial holding companies. The organisers framed it around Korea's token securities framework, which they say takes effect in February 2027. Shinhan Asset Management representatives were billed for a fireside discussion on institutional participation, cross-border settlement and the 2027 market.
After the event, a post on the Canton forum listed attendees including Shinhan Asset Management, Mirae Asset Securities, Kyobo Securities, KB Securities, Hanwha Finance, Hyundai Card, Franklin Templeton, Fidelity, Deloitte Anjin, LG and SK Telecom, among others.
Why it matters
Korean institutions have produced a steady run of Canton news in 2026. A financial group chairman meeting the heads of Digital Asset and the Canton Foundation, a day before a forum attended by several of the country's brokers and card issuers, suggests Shinhan is looking at Canton across its businesses, not only through its asset manager. The timing points to February 2027, when Korea's token securities rules are due to take effect.
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